This is according to a report released by the government on Tuesday. Close to half of the pupils questioned reported watching such films regularly. <\/p>\n
The report is based on the findings of a survey conducted among more than 1 000 pupils in the 13 to 17-plus age group in randomly selected schools in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. <\/p>\n
It is titled "Internet usage and the exposure of pornography to learners in South African schools". <\/p>\n
Among other major findings is that 64% of teenagers surveyed had been exposed to pornographic images on the internet, while 81% admitted to seeing such images on friends' cellphones. <\/p>\n
"Most pupils (67%) reported having seen a pornographic film… mostly on DVD. More boys (84%) than girls (54%) have watched at least one pornographic film, while a total of 45% reported watching pornographic films regularly." <\/p>\n
Released by deputy home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba at a parliamentary news briefing, the report is one of three commissioned by a ministerial team on child pornography. <\/p>\n
Another, on the use of child pornography in South Africa, finds that police and prosecuting teams need specialised technological training to curb such crime with success. <\/p>\n
It also calls for computers and cellphones to be fitted with filtering software to prevent the dissemination of such material. <\/p>\n
A third report – titled "Technology puts children under threat" -examines the incidence and impact of "non-contact sexual abuse" of children through the internet and cellular phones. <\/p>\n
Made them uncomfortable<\/strong> <\/p>\n This was based on research conducted among children between the ages of 10 and 15 in the three metropolitan areas. <\/p>\n "The research study found that 22% of the children who took part in the study have been exposed to distressing content on the internet, mostly of a sexual nature and nudity, which made them feel uncomfortable." <\/p>\n Another major finding was that 14% of chat room users – a popular pastime among children in this age group – have had sexual advances made to them on-line. <\/p>\n Gigaba said South Africa needed more "radical voices" to speak out on pornographic television-broadcast material and the dissemination of pornographic images via the internet and cellphones. <\/p>\n "There aren't enough voices out there… saying don't expose our children to porn… We need to draw a line as far as protection of children is concerned," he said. <\/p>\n